Dissertation Research
In my dissertation work, I examined the patterns of local adaptation in a marine fish at a fine spatial
scale and identified the genetic mechanisms that contribute to several life history traits. I am interested in the
mechanisms of sex determination in fishes and I focused on a species with both genetic and temperature-dependent sex
determination. Additionally, I investigated how local adaptation in the form of sex determination mediates the response to
environmental endocrine disruptors. I also addressed the mechanisms contributing to differences in intrinsic growth
rates among populations of fish over a steep environmental cline and how these mechanisms of growth were altered in
response to strong artificial selection.